Reluctance
by still.looking
Summary: Kazuha is targeted by a deranged serial killer and Heiji... well, just look and see! :P This is my first DC fic. KazuHei, fluff-ish.
1. Chapter 1

"So I guess we have to go see the victim's house," Heiji said, grinning slowly as another interesting case unfolded before him. Kazuha adjusted herself on her chair slightly; she loved seeing Heiji like this. "Occhan, let's go."

"Hai, hai," Kogoro said, removing sulkily the earphone through which he'd been listening to a horse race.

"I'll take this kid," Heiji said, already ushering Conan forward.

"Take care of him, Hattori-kun," Ran said, knowing it was pointless to try and complain.

"We'll be back before dinner, Kazuha," he now said, putting his hand on Kazuha's hair. "Be safe, don't let anyone see your stomach." He grinned down at her, that annoying way that made her blood boil. But before she could retort - "Cool down. Ja ne~"

He took his hand away, pulling her ribbon, that it became undone.

"A'ho!" Kazuha yelled, but he just smirked widely and left.

"Really," she said, when he'd left for sure, "always picking on me like that."

"I think it's amusing," Ran said, after they'd left the crime scene, and started the short walk to Heiji's house. "You act like a married couple already."

Kazuha, who had heard this comment many times from a wide variety of people (from everyone at school to her parents), merely sighed, unable to stop smiling.

"Kazuha-chan," Ran said carefully, looking at her. "What do you think would have happened if Heiji found the unvandalized picture?"

She reacted immediately, not going to forget that tragedy _that_ fast. "He would know that I've liked him ever since," she said. "But I still don't understand why the picture was drawn on! I swear I didn't do that.."

Ran grinned. That time, Heiji and Kazuha had to wake up early after a late night out to catch their flight; there had been no time to tell her what really happened. "Kunisue-san did. He liked you, and I guess he got jealous when he saw Hattori-kun's picture inside your charm. Well, you can't blame him, he must've really liked you."

"Oh, so that's why.." Kazuha said thoughtfully. "But really, even if he'd seen the real thing, he still wouldn't've—"

They paused to greet Heiji's mother, Shizuka, and said they would be preparing dinner. The sun had set a vivid orange over the whitewashed walls; it was almost 6.

"—he still wouldn't've liked me." Kazuha mumbled to Ran as she washed the vegetables.

Ran had no reaction, remembering what Sonoko said: "A man's first love is special to him." So silence reigned.

Kazuha didn't mind. She had known all along that Heiji wouldn't forget her: everytime he went to Kyoto, he would always bring her jewel along, in high hopes of finding her. And when he finally did, he would be ecstatic. _Well_, Kazuha thought dully, _as long as she's decent and can take care of Heiji…_

She held back her tears with a great effort. Accidentally, she cut herself on the knife she'd been peeling a carrot with.

"Ah," she said softly, reaching for the band-aid in the first aid kit.

"Careful, Kazuha-chan," Ran told her, looking up to see her cleaning the wound.

"Just distracted by my thoughts," she said.

"Why, what were you thinking about?"

"Well—"

"Tadaimaaa!~" a familiar voice called from the direction of the front door.

"I'll tell you later," Kazuha muttered out of the corner of her mouth, as Heiji burst in the door, grinning as he braced himself to tease her lightly again.


	2. Chapter 2

The blue-clad worker shut the door heavily and locked it, yawning. He looked up at the sky: a thin slice of the moon was through the clouds. In a few days, the new moon would come. It was a very cloudy night.

He made sure the door was closed, and trudged down the steps, his backpack heavy as it bounced, and his right hand carrying his Wellington boots. He whistled carelessly, a whistle that stopped in horror as he saw a short-haired teenage girl, still in junior high uniform, a river of blood dried on her body, staring blankly at the sky, clearly lifeless.

"No doubt," Otaki said, rising with a grunt from careful inspection of the dead body, looking up at Heiji and Conan, who were standing, mirror images of each other, scrutinizing the corpse carefully, their hands in their pockets. "It's him."

"Who?" Ran asked, unable to look at the grotesque body, addressing Otaki.

"Kuroshi Hachi, the escaped serial killer," he said. "His trademark is murdering Osakan high school students, male or female, with their residence houses in the order of the shape of the English J, by slicing their jugular vein, then the cartroid artery." He winced. "It's a cruel way of killing. I pity all his victims."

"This is the third victim," Heiji said in a low voice. "He always commits the final murder at night. Otaki-han, have you tried narrowing down the last residence house?"

"Yes," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "Hei-chan, yours and Kazuha's house are included in the range."

He looked up at that, and huffed loudly.

"You'll have to stay in tonight, Heiji-niichan," Conan said. "It would probably be best—"

"—if Kazuha stayed with us," Heiji continued. "I'll tell your mom, Kazuha."

Kazuha and Ran exchanged meaningful looks. "She can stay with me," Ran said.

"That's settled, then…" Heiji said, glancing anxiously at them. "Since he always strikes at night, we'll be safe for the afternoon."

"I'll be in charge of guarding the parameters," Otaki told them, "Be safe, Heiji. _Nothing rash_."

Heiji winced, and turned to Kazuha. "Kazuha, I'll be doing some research on this Kuroshi. You and Ran-san go have fun, but be at my house at 5.30. I'll tell your mom." He then turned to Ran. "I—"

"Yeah, just take care of him," Ran grinned, knowing he was about to say he was taking Conan. Heiji smiled apologetically.

"Alright, then."

Heiji went out the door, hearing Conan wave a quick "Bye, Ran-neechan".

Conan saw that Heiji was obviously anxious. He might be manly and all that, but no one can ever hide their concern for their loved one.. _But he doesn't know that.. yet_, Conan thought, smirking.

"Of all the places in Kansai," Heiji mumbled in a low voice. "Dammit."

He fell into frustrated silence. _Please, I hope he isn't targeting Kazuha. But the limits must be around 50 meters.. that's a lot of high school students. Must I worry?... Argh. No. I still will. Just to make sure… Just to ensure her safety._

A past thought echoed in his mind. _I promise you… I won't let_ anyone _harm you when you're with me._

_Even now,_ he continued the thought fiercely, picking up his pace, _I'll protect you. Don't worry… I'm here._


	3. Chapter 3

Heiji and Conan's afternoon was very productive. They'd learned that the murderer was 29 years old. He was a Chemistry teacher in high school, and he had loved one of his students very much. He risked his license by being biased with her many times. However, when he confessed, he learned that that student had a boyfriend. That was, easily, his motive.

Conan had whispered, "What a student that must've been."

Heiji had grinned widely. "Love knows no boundaries."

And Conan had rolled his eyes at him. _You should hear yourself talk._

Moving on -

Heiji had noticed that in all of his J-patterns before, there were both males and females, but the fourth was never a male. He'd shivered at the thought, and even more when he heard Conan's inference: the last was always the quietest and quickest abduction, and the death more drawn out by slashing lightly both arms first, before the jugular vein and cartroid artery. The only things that they learned that didn't scare him was that the last murder always had a clue.. which no one has ever solved. He also always murdered near a warehouse, and always in Osaka: at that, he started rounding up names.

"In short," Heiji said, pummeling the dinner table with his fist, and looking sternly at Kazuha, "Absolutely _do not_ go out of the room until the sun rises. You hear me?"

"Yes, Heiji," Kazuha said dully. "So do you."

"Bah, I told you, the last murder is always a girl," he said. "So I've to worry about you."

At a quarter to 11, yawns were becoming more and more frequent, so Shizuka sent them all to bed.

Heiji pestered Kazuha again about her safety.

"I know aikido, idiot," she said through the door, from where Heiji was still growling comments. "I can take care of myself. Now go get some sleep." She would have kicked him to his room if only she was outside, but she seriously considered opening the door, knowing that Heiji was sitting sulking behind it.

On the other side of the door, Heiji fell silent, determined to stay there and keep guard. _I have to take care of her._ He cringed.

Kazuha couldn't sleep, knowing that Heiji would insist and stubbornly stay there. So she sang through the door, the song she'd sung before and Heiji had reacted so weirdly to.

"_Naru take ebisu ni oshi oike.._"

She tried to sing it as softly and sweetly as possible, even though the song wasn't meant for that.

But still, on the other side of the door, Heiji fell off to a gentle doze, having been exhausted from the day. _It_ is _her.. that same song.. that same voice.. that same person._ He fell asleep with a light rose color tingeing his cheeks.

When Kazuha heard his head bump lightly to the door, she was afraid that it would wake him up. But as she heard Heiji exhale softly she was content that he was asleep. How she wished to see him so innocent and vulnerable (and quiet) again..

She went back to her own bed, then felt a piece of paper scrunch up as she laid down. She reached back, took it, and smoothed it out.

_Hello, love._  
**1984.**

Her heart beat painfully fast. She didn't know this handwriting.

"Hei--"

"Ssh." A very soft voice behind her said quietly, barely heard, speaking to her as if entrancing her. "Your cute sleeping prince will wake up outside." He kissed her cheek; Kazuha shuddered at his cold lips.  
_**No.**_


	4. Chapter 4

He had locked together her arms and had stepped painfully on both her feet, so she couldn't move. In a wink, he had taped her mouth together and bound her arms and legs. She remembered what Heiji had said. _The last is always the quickest and quietest abduction. _

That was certainly true. In less than a minute he was already hauling her out the window. Inspired by a sudden idea, Kazuha kicked the wooden windowsill loudly. He snarled quietly, and Ran stirred. However, Heiji was more sensitive to noise and opened the door, just to find the still-scrunched up paper fall down from the window. He caught it quickly and read.

The first two words were enough to set him jumping out the window, his mind clear but his heart on fire with anger.

He landed like a cat, soundless and safe. He read through the clue again. He thought through it quickly:  
The first line was probably just a trademark. So what was 1984..?

It certainly sounded like a year, Heiji thought. He was a Chemistry teacher.. A year something was discovered? An invention? A drug? An element..?

That's it! He thought triumphantly. If they corresponded to the atomic numbers, the letters could form numbers.

He tried it out:

If it was 1 9 8 4 .. H F O Be. --_No._

19 84 .. K Po. --_No._

19 8 4 .. K O Be. Ko-be. Kobe?!

His heart pumped faster as he rode his motorcycle and started off. If he always murdered in Osaka, that must mean the point of Osaka nearest Kobe. He just wished that it had a warehouse somewhere near.If it was 1 9 8 4 .. H F O Be. --_No._

19 84 .. K Po. --_No._

19 8 4 .. K O Be. Ko-be. Kobe?!

His heart pumped faster as he rode his motorcycle and started off. If he always murdered in Osaka, that must mean the point of Osaka nearest Kobe. He just wished that it had a warehouse somewhere near.

The kidnapper had a great start: around two minutes. He winced at the thought, but he just rode faster.

He left his motorcycle at a parking spot: he wanted to sneak up so he couldn't bring along the noisy bike.

Rain started to fall, first small, barely noticeable drops, then becoming a fine mist, that it was almost a fog. Heiji wasn't bothered, though; he knew where to go. While on his bike, he remembered a very old, abandoned warehouse, once brought there by Otaki for a case. [Obviously, I made this up.]

The wind blew harder. Heiji's step faltered, but after that he sped up, still careful not to slip.

The rain poured hard, steady.

_No._

Drip. Drip.

_No. I need her._

He was soaked, but he didn't care.

_I would endure anything. Just-- just let her be alive._

His imagination was running wild. Every drop of water felt like blood. He growled at himself.

_She's alive._

_If she were dead--_

He winced, too angry to cry.

_--I would know._

He turned right.

_Here--_

They were there: Kuroshi, with his back to him, towering over Kazuha. She had a cut on one arm, which was bleeding hard. Her eyes were closed.

Heiji's dread flooded out every other emotion he had.. a few seconds later, it turned to anger, undescribable anger, as he forgot everything else and turned to Kuroshi, [insert whatever you want here. I couldn't describe Heiji's anger enough.]

"HOW _CAN_ YOU?" he yelled, his tears disguised as rain on his face, forgetting all thought of an ambush.

"Your girlfriend is really pretty. And really nice." Kuroshi said, as though he'd been there all the time. "May I have her?"

"No," Heiji said menacingly, not caring what he'd just confirmed by inference. "Don't you touch her, _fool._"

He rolled his eyes. "Stop worrying. She's alive." His voice was almost part of the rain. "I like to marvel at girls like her before.. carrying on." He grinned widely.

Heiji stepped nearer, trying to master his anger. "Get away from her." He cracked, finally, at this man who mutilated Kazuha-- "PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" He lunged forward.


	5. Chapter 5

Kazuha's arm was sliced. Badly. It was pain past endurance; pain so intense she couldn't feel it.

She looked down at the wound, and fainted. The blood smelled like rust.

_Heiji.._

She didn't know how much time had passed. Minutes? Hours? Days..? She didn't even know if she was really awake.

She fell sick at the thought of Heiji, probably worried beyond compare. Her eyes were still closed, not wanting to know the time, not wanting to know how long he'd been suffering. But at that moment, she heard what she wanted most.. _probably Heaven's gift to me as I die,_ she thought.

Heiji continued to talk. He sounded angry.. From what she understood, he was furiously mad. She heard his footsteps, her ear having been pressing down on the ground, willing him not to fight. She wanted to say she was okay; to say he had both a gun and a knife--

Too late. Heiji had jumped forward, lithe as a cougar. She opened her eyes and watched in horror.

"No--"

He picked up a broken metal crutch lying on the side of the dumpster, and attack with it as a shinai.

There were sounds of metal against metal and three gunshots, but it stopped as quickly as it came. Heiji straightened up, and exhaled, as if he hadn't breathed through the fight. He had a gash on one cheek, which was bleeding. Kazuha moaned worriedly. He turned toward her, surprised.

"You wake fast," he muttered, kneeling down on one leg and hacking at her bindings. When it fell free, Kazuha put her hand gently over Heiji's wound, which also meant cradling his cheek. "Are you okay?" she said softly, trying to stop the bleeding.

Heiji was turning redder and redder every second, even if his blood level was still receding. He looked down at the pavement, so he couldn't break down from Kazuha's expression. "I-I'm okay.." _Just keep your hand there_, he added as an afterthought, blushing even deeper. "Th-this isn't the time, Kazuha."

"Oh. Sorry." She took her hand, and glanced over his shoulder at Kuroshi.

"Is he alive, Heiji?"

"Yeah, but he might die due to loss of blood." He looked up at her. "Don't worry.. he deserves it."

Sirens wailed in the still night. Kazuha jumped, but Heiji wasn't surprised. "That's the police that I called," he said cheerfully. "Can you stand?"

Kazuha tried, but fell down. Heiji caught her. "Alright," he said, rolling his eyes, "just like before. Hop on, then."

Kazuha grinned as he hoisted her on his back. "Dang," he murmured, as she put her arms around his neck.

"You were the one who said I ride on your back," Kazuha reminded him, as he walked steadily to the police car.

"I know. Hold steady, idiot." He looked back at her, smiling. Kazuha fell asleep, her head touching the back of his neck. Heiji blushed again, savoring this moment, but still thinking..


	6. Chapter 6

Through her ten-hour sleep at the hospital, Heiji stayed with Kazuha, unflinchingly gazing alternately out the window and at the monitor attached to Kazuha.

He had also told her parents of what happened, and they had come as soon as visitors were allowed. They were assured that she was okay, that she just needed to stay in the hospital for a few days, and that Heiji would stay with her.

After Kazuha's parents were Ran, Conan, and Kogoro.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Ran said, as soon as she was in the door. Heiji had to stand from his bedside seat to make room for them.

"She is okay, ne, Hattori?" Conan muttered to him. Heiji had sat cross-legged on the other side of the bed, on the floor, his back to the mattress.

"All levels normal."

"Nerd."

Ran and Kazuha talked happily, Kogoro having went outside to go for a smoke. Heiji and Conan listened to them, rolling their eyes every now and then as they teased and laughed. They didn't mind, though.

They had to leave eventually to go back to Tokyo. Kogoro had waved down Heiji's offer to accompany them to the station.

"She needs you more than we do," he said quietly, gesturing to Kazuha, who was sleeping soundly.

"Take care, then," Heiji replied, waving, "I'll call Ku--Conan-kun when we'll meet again."

So Heiji was left again to stare outside again, and wonder.

When Kazuha stirred, he turned toward her.

"What time is--"

"He kissed you, didn't he?"

He was silhouetted against the sunlight, but his face was entirely blank. The truth was that he'd practiced this mentally for days.

"Wh-what?"

He looked at her. "I don't know.. I just felt that you were acting weird since we got in here. It's the only explanation," he said, then his voice turned quietly pleading. "_Please_ tell the truth."

She blushed, cracking at Heiji's expression. "Only.. only on the cheek. It's-- nothing." Kazuha couldn't look at him.

"That's distracting.." he said lowly.

Kazuha ignored that and hid her face in the covers.

Silence reigned for a few minutes; Heiji broke it.

"Can you sing me that song again?"

"What song, Heiji?"

"That one you sung me to sleep with. I love the melody," he added hastily, as she looked questioningly at him.

Kazuha sung without complaint, though still confused, as confidently as she could, not when Heiji had wheeled his chair over and buried his face in his arms, on the beddings.

"Thanks," he said after the song, yawning. He hadn't gotten around to much sleeping.

"Sleep, Heiji," she said. He closed his eyes.

"Yeah, don't mind me, I'm just bothered about not being your first kiss."  
_**  
Ehh?!**_

He opened one eye, in time to see her blushing deep. His blue-green eyes stood out beautifully against his chocolate-brown skin.. _how could I have noticed that just now?_ [note: this is Kazuha's thought.]

"Kidding." He traced Kazuha's hand with his finger.

"Before you go to sleep," she muttered, almost a snarl, because his tracing was tickling, "Tell me, why do you keep asking me to sing that song? Aside from the melody, of course. I'm just curious."

He stopped his tracing, but keeps his hand on hers. He grunted into his arms, "Memories." Then he snorted.

"Weird," Kazuha said decidedly.

"No, really." He looked up at her slowly with those amethyst eyes. Kazuha winced. "I promise. You'll know someday."

He fell asleep holding her hand, Kazuha gazing at him confusedly.


End file.
